Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church
Today we celebrate the life of St. Teresa of Avila. It was St Teresa of Avila who said “clarity is freedom”. Teresa knew much about freedom. She spent the first half of her life trying to attain the deep interior freedom she knew God was offering to her. Teresa was even aware that she clung to some things that held her back from experiencing true freedom. This is what kept Teresa, and many of us human beings, from the clear, simple, and unambiguous experience of interior freedom. As human beings we like security and acceptance and comfort. It is hard to give up ways of thinking or behaving that are familiar that can stand in the way of the very clarity and freedom offered to us when we surrender deeply to God.
In today’s first reading, St. Paul exhorts the Galatians to stand firm and live in the freedom they have been given through Christ. He found them giving in to false claims that they must live by the strict Mosaic laws and rituals in order to achieve salvation. His strong message to them reaffirms the fact that they are children, not of slavery, but freedom! (Gal 4:31). The freedom Paul is talking about cannot be earned by living “under the law” but only by faith in Jesus Christ. Today’s Gospel passage from Luke is an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees. They ask Jesus for a sign—unwilling to believe in him (Lk 11: 29-32). There are probably several reasons for their lack of faith. Their power and influence over the people was being threatened by Jesus and the efficacy of their strict adherence to rituals and laws was being undermined—being in control was more important than the prospect of freedom. Standing before them was the very source of complete freedom and they chose to reject it.
When I read St. Teresa’s autobiography, I found myself identifying with her in many ways. She was a very “human” person with flaws and weaknesses and she struggled a great deal. She was aware of who she was in relation to God and she knew she could not overcome her weaknesses by herself. Teresa was even aware that she clung to certain things, such as socializing at the convent, living in relative comfort, and gaining the esteem of others. It was this resistance that kept Teresa from seeing clearly what God wanted of her. It was only after she finally reached the point of complete surrender that she experienced the clarity that afforded her such freedom. Paradoxically, it was precisely in this freedom that Teresa met with some of her most serious challenges. She was investigated by the Inquisition, rejected and ridiculed by her peers and opposed by her superiors, but managed to establish 17 reformed convents in 15 years and complete her volumes of sublime teachings on prayer.
I wonder how many of us Christians feel this clarity of purpose and the deep sense of freedom that accompanies it. I wonder if we know in the very deepest corners of our hearts what this is supposed to mean for us and I wonder if we realize how often we stand in the way of our own freedom. I pray for that intense clarity. I want the struggle I must expect in this life to be spent in a way that honors my God. And I pray for the willingness to set aside the weakness and fear that keeps my mind from seeing clearly the exact purpose God has planned for me.
My Dearest Father God,
Grant me the grace of clarity this day
Show me exactly how I am keeping my heart and mind
from being completely, unreservedly yours.
Grant me the willingness to accept and act upon
whatever changes you deem necessary
to live in the freedom of your son, Jesus Christ. AMEN
-Gail Lyman